will flight attendant help minor flying alone?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Julie D
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Julie D

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i live in virginia and lil sis is in boston, mass. i would love it if lil sis would visit me n my family during her april vacation, so does she, but she is scared 2 fly alone!!! she has flown before, many times, but this time, if she decides to come, it will only be her, she's 13. will someone help her through out the entire flight??? how can i ease her fright???you guys.....this is all very helpful!!!!! thank you ALL very much especially the "webmaster"...thank you guys!!!!sorry, not "webmaster", i meant "the ruler of webbernet"..thanks again guys!!!
 
Yes, you just need to ask. Also, if there is a layover, you can pay an additional fee and there is constant supervision in a play area. For peace of mind, it might be worth it. I did it with 1 of my sons, and yes he was around that age and felt stupid, but in this day and age, why take chances. You can arrange this when you book a ticket.
 
Airlines usually have minor ages set at 12 or under. If she wants to be treated like a minor, which yes the flight attendants take care of her, then she needs to contact the airline and ask about ways she can be treated like a minor. It will cost an extra fee, though.To ease her anxiety:Tell her the more stressed about the flight she is the worse it will be.Tell her to bring gum or hard candy and eat in during take off and landing to avoid annoying ear popping.She needs to be calm and relaxed, so tell her to change her worries about flying into happy thoughts like getting to see you.Flying is a wonderful experience and it is very fun! Tell her that she is lucky she gets to have such a great experience!Good Luck! I hope her flight goes well.
 
Well, based on my stuff, on AA/Northwest they just come buy and smile when they ask if you want some Soda.Tell her I'm 13 and I fly alone every couple months.
 
Absolutely. Airlines are great at looking after young kids. Arrange this at the time of booking,you will have to pay a fee if you want her to have supervision all the time and help with transfers etc. It truly is the safest thing to do in my experience.I hope you all have a happy and safe vacation.
 
Please sign her up as an "unaccompanied minor" when you book. There is a fee for this service. To find out what, search with the name of your airline and "unaccompanied minor" to find the right page right away.I'm a former Flight Attendant and I handled many "UM"s in my career. Your parents need to be there to check her in and sign the paperwork. She will then be lead to the gate by a customer service agent. If it's school vacation time, there will probably be several of them on the flight.Ask your parents to not leave the airport until they see that her flight has departed. Make sure they have their cell phone with them. Once on the airplane, we were aware of our UM's but most were experienced fliers and didn't need much help. We would check on them but overall, they weren't treated any differently than any other young people on board. After landing, we would hand our UM's over again to another customer service agent at our arrival city who would either help them find their connection or help collect the bags and make sure the right people came to pick them up at the airport. You will be asked for your ID when you come get her.Try to get her a cell phone to reassure her and make sure she knows how to turn it off and on. Make sure she has your and your parents' cell phone numbers. Have her bring some reading things and remind her to recharge all her electronical gadgets because that can't be done on board. Bringing snacks is also a good idea since many flights no longer serve meals. She's not nervous about flying, just about doing it alone. There are plenty of teen agers flying as UM's, usually children of divorced parents and those flying with younger siblings. The teens could probably do it alone but are too young to lead smaller children so the parents opt to designate them all as UM's. Reassure her that the airlines are very careful with their "UM"s and she will not be left alone on the ground. Even in the case of delays and cancellations, the airlines take care of them. Some of ours' weren't happy about making the trip (court ordered visitations usually) and would try to escape! Warn her of this and the fact the airline staff might be kind of strict and to not take it personally. Be aware that there are some booking restrictions so be sure your parents make this clear with airlines when they reserve.I'm sure she'll do great once she gets to the airport. Just be really positive and hope it works out!
 
IF I WERE U I'D TAKE WAT SARCASTIC SAID INTO CONSIDERATION I MEAN JUST HAVE HER BUY SOME CANDY AND STUFF LIKE THAT AND BE SURE TO TELL THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT TO WACTH OVER HER FOR U ..... I'M SURE THEY'LL UNDERSTAND [GOD BLESS U]
 
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